Bug FAQCommon Froghopper
Cercopis vulnerata · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Cercopidae
Also called: Froghopper, Red-and-black Froghopper
The common froghopper is a small black bug with bright red markings on its wing covers and abdomen. Adults appear from April to August and live on a variety of grasses and other herbaceous plants in sunny open habitats across most of Europe.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Its elytra have a triangular red spot at the base, a square spot in the middle, and a stripe near the tip, while the upper abdomen shows narrow red stripes at the rear edges of the segments.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males are about 9 to 10.5 mm long and females about 8.2 to 10.5 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives on sunny southern slopes, grasslands, meadows, forest edges, moors, clearings and city parks, often on woody or herbaceous plants.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Both adults and nymphs suck plant juices; adults feed on grasses and a range of other plants, while nymphs feed on root juices.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Females lay eggs on plants and trees at the end of summer; the larvae develop underground in foam nests on roots and emerge as nymphs in spring.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults can be seen from April through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is found throughout most of Europe, including countries such as France, Germany, Italy, the UK and many others.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It resembles Cercopis sanguinolenta but has larger red marks and a U-shaped rear stripe; other similar species include Cercopis intermedia and Haematoloma dorsata.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Virginia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I tell this froghopper apart from similar species?
Look for larger red markings and a U-shaped stripe at the rear of the abdomen; these features distinguish it from Cercopis sanguinolenta.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do they feed on?
They suck juices from grasses and various herbaceous plants such as tall fescue, orchard grass, nettle, meadowsweet and goutweed.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find them?
They live in sunny open areas like grasslands, meadows, forest edges, moors and city parks across most of Europe.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Cercopidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercopis_vulnerata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.